Somaliland Votes for President Amid Push for International Recognition

“We pray to Allah to make the election take place democratically and peacefully and as usual a peaceful transfer of power in peace,” Bihi told the press after casting his vote on Wednesday. He’s facing the same two opponents from the last presidential election. The trio are battling to secure the majority of votes from the more than one million registered voters among the country's six million citizens.

Somaliland’s constitution allows for a presidential term of five years, however, Bihi’s term was extended for a further two years by parliament, due to financial constraints and armed conflict along its border with Puntland, another autonomous territory that broke away from Somalia. This is the third time in a row that the presidential election in Somaliland has been postponed — the last two elections each held two years after their initial schedule.

The news that the election, originally scheduled for 2022, was postponed sparked nationwide protests, although opposition parties did not immediately condemn the election being moved.

Bihi is again the flagbearer for the ruling Kulmiye Peace, Unity and Development Party. His strongest opponent is Waddani National Party’s Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, also referred to by locals as Irro. Abdullahi got 40 percent of the votes at the last election, while Bihi won with over 55%.

The third candidate is perennial contender Faysal Ali Warabe of the Justice and Welfare Party (UCID), who has run in all three prior presidential elections in Somaliland history. While the winner of the election is currently too close to call, Warabe has consistently finished behind the runner-up, and it’s expected that the race will be between Bihi and Abdullahi.

“The run-up to the elections has been highly contested,” Mohamed Abdirahman of the Institute for Strategic Insights and Research (ISIR) told The Africa Report. “People are polarized, and we don’t know how many of them will be willing to wake up and take a mediatory role.”

While elections in Somaliland are generally considered to be free and fair, the highly contested nature of this year’s presidential vote is an effect of the myriad of issues voters have to consider, including the increased cost of living, as well as regional tension with both Puntland and Somalia, with the latter considering Somaliland a pariah state.

A former British colony, Somaliland merged with Somalia in 1960, but broke away and declared independence in 1991 after a brutal civil war. The country has governed itself since then, but is yet to gain international recognition. The quest to be globally recognized is a more pressing issue in this election, than in previous elections.

Bihi seemed to be heading towards a historic achievement, after advancing a port deal with neighboring Ethiopia earlier this year. However, the deal has stalled in recent months, as the diplomatic standoff between Ethiopia and Somalia has grown more tense. Had Bihi been able to secure the deal, which would’ve led to Ethiopian being the first country to acknowledge Somaliland’s sovereignty, his chances at returning into office would have been greatly boosted.

There’s also the disputed city of Las Anod, which Somaliland seized control of in 2007, stating that it is part of the old Somaliland protectorate. However, Puntland has regained the territory following armed conflict that displaced more than 200,000 people and inflicted losses on Somaliland’s military. The conflict also had an adverse effect on international perception of Somaliland, which is seen as far more stable than Somalia.

“We have lost some of the regions of Somaliland,” opposition leader Abdullahi said during a press conference last weekend in the capital Hargeisa. “We want to unite our country [and] revitalize our economy, which went down because of the wars in the eastern regions.” At the same press conference, Bihi’s vice president, Abdirahman Saylici, endorsed Abdullahi.

Whoever wins between Bihi and Abdullahi will have the task of improving Somaliland’s economic fortunes and greatly advance the cause of international recognition. Without being recognized by the global community, the country, which has its own passport and currency, will continue to deal with limited cross-border movements for its citizens and tight access to international funding.